Secrecy around clearing of Mdluli arouses suspicions

http://mg.co.za/zapiro/fullcartoon/3642

The allegations about crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli will not go away, no matter how much some within the government want them to. Mdluli, who was accused of crimes including murder and corruption, was this week cleared - behind a veil of secrecy - by the police. Though every citizen remains innocent until proven otherwise, Mdluli's case, and how it has been handled, raises questions.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and the police's top brass must not expect the public to swallow whatever they say without question. The public deserves a police force led by officers who don't have skeletons in their closets. How can we trust the intelligence services when Mdluli is cleared without recourse to the courts? How can we be sure that government leaders are not abusing state institutions to advance their political interests? When corruption charges were made against Jacob Zuma, when he was deputy president of the ANC, his supporters loudly protested that his enemies were abusing state institutions to persecute him. Are state institutions not being abused now?

South Africa cannot afford to have cases involving senior officials decided behind closed doors. Zuma and those who supported him before he won the presidency should be foremost among those shouting for transparency in the Mdluli case. Reports that acting national police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi wants to quit because of the Mdluli affair will force the matter back into the public arena.

The Presidency has refuted claims that Zuma ordered Mdluli's reinstatement but the deafening silence about why he was cleared is an elephant in the room. The government's attempt to sweep Mdluli's case under the carpet shows us that there is more to this affair than we have been told. Our leaders should allow justice to prevail and avoid making deals to suit themselves.

Source: Times Live